


Covered in the Colors

by sunshinexbomb



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: 2007-2008 NHL Season, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, Miscommunication, Soul Bond
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-24
Updated: 2016-11-24
Packaged: 2018-09-01 23:02:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8641630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunshinexbomb/pseuds/sunshinexbomb
Summary: “We're bonded,” Nicky says, surprising himself as much as he's surprised Bradley.“Oh,” Bradley says, eyes wide. “That - makes sense actually.”Nicky blinks owlishly in surprise. “It does?”It shouldn't make sense, not when Nicky and Mike are definitely not bonded, but here they are, Bradley nodding like it's the most reasonable thing he's ever heard.“I mean, I thought you and Ovi were at first, but you and Greenie are always together and just,” he shrugs. “Like I have a best friend too, Backy, but I wouldn't pay five hundred bucks to room with him, especially not if I was still on ELC.”--In which Nicky and Greenie pretend to be soul bonded so they can be road roommates.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hicsvntdracones](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hicsvntdracones/gifts).



> Happy Thanksgiving! This year I'm thankful for the pure innocent love between Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Green, Alex Ovechkin scoring a hat trick on Nicky's birthday, Nicole [hockeycaptains](http://archiveofourown.org/users/hockeycaptains) for beta'ing this fic and listening to me complain about it for days, and Hann [hicsvntdracones](http://archiveofourown.org/users/hicsvntdracones) for enabling me.
> 
> Based on [this story ](http://www.russianmachineneverbreaks.com/2015/12/08/caps-tribute-video-for-mike-green-nbcsn-says-green-and-backstrom-are-still-best-of-friends/) about Nicky and Greenie paying the vets $500 each so they can room together, because clearly they are just as ridiculous irl as they are in fic. All the games mentioned in this fic are real but general hand-waving is necessary to make sense of things timing wise.
> 
> I am in no way associated with the NHL and this is clearly fictional. Title is from Halsey's "Colors".

“Do you wanna room together in Toronto?”

Nicky’s already drifting off, has been since the plane took off from St. Louis. He blinks at Mike sleepily, and shrugs when he realizes Mike’s looking for an answer. “Are we allowed to do that?” he asks.

Mike shrugs back. “I’m sure Bradley and Stecks wouldn’t mind switching if we asked.”

They’re pressed together close in the small plane seats, armrest pushed up to give them a bit more room. Nicky’s warm where Mike’s arm brushes against his, and he feels a brief flutter in his stomach when Mike nudges their fingers together in question.

“Okay, Greenie,” Nicky mumbles, because the game against the Blues had been hard and long and Nicky’s absolutely exhausted. Rooming with Mike doesn’t sound like a bad idea - Bradley’s a nice guy, but all Nicky can think of is how Mike’s soft smile would be a much better sight first thing in the morning.

“Okay,” Mike repeats with a grin that’s bright and soft.

Mike swings his arm over Nicky’s shoulders and Nicky doesn’t complain when his head feels so heavy with sleep. He pillows his head on Mike’s shoulder and dozes off.

\--

Bradley and Steckel both refuse to switch.

“Coach said you guys need looking after,” Bradley teases, twirling his and Nicky’s room key around his finger. “Can’t say no to that.”

Nicky wants to insist that he can look after himself just fine, but he’s the rookie here and he knows that sometimes it’s better to just bite his tongue. Mike looks like he’s doing the same, but he rolls his eyes with a disbelieving smile when Nicky catches his eye.

“Maybe next year boys,” Stecks says, clapping Mike on the shoulder before heading towards their room, Bradley following behind.

“Or maybe next game,” Mike mumbles, and Nicky can’t help but laugh. “We’ll think of something,” he adds more loudly, looking at Nicky with the same determination he uses when battling for the puck in the neutral zone.

“Sure, Greenie,” Nicky says softly. He's still a bit groggy from his nap on the plane, and it's really all he can muster at this point.

“Okay, let's get you to your room, Sleeping Beauty,” Mike says with a laugh. “We'll think of something else tomorrow when you're more awake.”

He grabs Nicky's bag from his hand and Nicky follows him down the hall, wondering for a second why it is that Mike’s pushing so hard to make this happen.

\--

Team breakfast the next morning starts with a strong cup of tea and Mike insisting on bribery.

“Five hundred each would probably be enough, right?” Mike wonders aloud, and all Nicky can think is that it's much too early for this.

“Greenie, it's really not that big a deal,” Nicky insists and Mike shakes his head brandishing his fork around a bit wildly.

“No, I'm gonna make it happen, Nicky, you'll see.”

Nicky rolls his eyes, but he can't deny the warmth in his chest. Having Mike's attention is not new - they'd clicked easily during training camp, becoming fast friends as the season started - but this is a bit different. He likes this better, likes knowing that it's not too weird that he sort of wants to be with Mike all the time. Like, it's probably at least a little weird, but at least the feeling seems to be reciprocated in some way.

“Let's get through practice and the game tomorrow and then we can discuss bribery,” Nicky says.

Mike lets out an exaggerated sigh, but there's a smile tugging at his lips and Nicky can feel one growing on his face too.

\--

“You two really like each other, don't you?” Bradley asks, looking at the bills in Nicky's outstretched hands in amusement.

Nicky feels heat rise to his face, but his voice is steady when he asks, “Do we have a deal?”

“I don't know kid, we're really not supposed to be doing this,” Bradley says, and he at least looks a bit sympathetic.

Nicky can feel his frustration starting to grow. Mike's been trying so hard to make this happen, and the determination is starting to rub off on Nicky now too. There's no reason they shouldn't get to room together, the whole thing is just stupid, honestly.

“Please, Matt?” Nicky asks - almost pleads.

Nicky knows when he's about to get rejected. Everyone makes the same face when they're going to turn someone down. It doesn’t matter if it’s for a date or an early morning game of shinny or switching roommates, the tell tale frown and sympathetic eyes never change. He's not sure what to do, what to say, not when Mike's counting on this to work, and it's probably why he blurts out the first thing that pops into his head.

“We're bonded,” Nicky says, surprising himself as much as he's surprised Bradley. His face heats up even more than before, his heart beating rapidly once he's realized what he's said.

“Oh,” Bradley says, eyes wide. “That - makes sense actually.”

Nicky blinks owlishly in surprise. “It does?”

It shouldn't make sense, not when Nicky and Mike are definitely not bonded, but here they are, Bradley nodding like it's the most reasonable thing he's ever heard.

“I mean, I thought you and Ovi were at first, but you and Greenie are always together and just,” he shrugs. “Like I have a best friend too, Backy, but I wouldn't pay five hundred bucks to room with him, especially not if I was still on ELC.”

Nicky's entire face is absolutely on fire, and he regrets what he said, already wishing he could stuff the words back into his mouth or play dumb and insist bonded meant something different in Swedish or something. But not even Nicky's English is that bad. Bonds are universal - there's no way to play this off.

“Me and Ovi are bonded,” he says instead, “but it's just platonic.”

That much is true, and it's not a secret either. It's on record with the front office and Ovi will tell just about anyone who will listen about their bond. Nicky doesn't expect Bradley’s reaction, though, and he's surprised by the way his eyes soften and his smile grows.

“It's special isn't it? This kind of bond?” Bradley asks. “Like I thought platonic bonds were strong, but what you and Greenie have is totally different isn't it?”

Guilt sits heavy in Nicky's stomach suddenly. He feels like he's done something inexplicably wrong, lying about a bond. Like he's making a joke out of the ways of the universe or thinking too lightly about something that's clearly important to people. But it's too late now and Nicky can't take it back, so he just nods instead.

“Yeah, you can room together,” Bradley says. “When we get to New York, Greenie's all yours.”

Nicky nods silently, and he barely notices when Bradley still takes the money.

\--

The first and only time Nicky actually bonds is on draft day, when Ovi takes his hand with a bright smile and there’s suddenly a cloud of red, making Nicky’s vision hazy for a second before he blinks it away. He can feel an underlying confusion that’s not his own and a spike in the nerves that definitely are his own. Ovi’s eyes are wide and they’re sort of just standing with their hands between them awkwardly until they’re being ushered off the stage together.

When they’re away from the crowd, Ovi makes sure to pull Nicky to the side, away from the cameras that are still buzzing around the top prospects. “Um, you feel -” Ovi cuts off, waving his hands around vaguely and Nicky gets a flash of blue in his vision this time.

Nicky nods. “Yeah. Was it - it was a bond?”

Ovi nods too. His eyes are still wide, but the downward tilt of his lips is starting to lift back into the same wide smile from before. The red is back, brighter around the edges, and Nicky feels light in his chest.

“Is - how do you say? Just friends?” Ovi asks.

“Platonic,” Nicky supplies softly, and then, “oh.”

“Disappointed?” Ovi asks, smile teasing, and Nicky manages a laugh.

“Not really,” he admits. “But you’re sure? How do you know -?”

“I know,” Ovi says firmly, “can tell difference. Know both.”

And, that’s also, oh. Nicky doesn’t ask, but he’s definitely curious, because he can feel the warmth not just in Ovi’s voice, but in his own bones and in a flash of yellow over the bond.

“Platonic bond,” Nicky says to himself instead, and he wonders what Ovi is feeling from his end, if it’s just a jumble of nerves or if there’s also the excitement Nicky feels, the anticipation of what this means for him, for the both of them. “Definitely did not think this would happen today.”

“Going to be great together,” Ovi says, “can feel it. You and me, Backy.”

Nicky smiles, and even without the bond, he can tell that Ovi genuinely believes it.

\--

The first thing Mike does when they get to New York is claim the bed by the window. He then lets out a loud laugh and flops down onto the bed, sprawling out on it and grinning wide at Nicky.

“First night as roomies,” he says in excitement.

Nicky's answering smile is small as he takes a seat on the edge of his own bed. Between practice and the game against Toronto and Nicky's own avoidance of the topic, Nicky hasn't been able to tell Mike about the whole bonding thing just yet, and a part of him wishes he could keep it that way.

“I can't believe the money worked,” Mike says honestly, still smiling at Nicky. He's sat up now, staring at him face on, and it's stupid how his gaze makes Nicky feel a bit hot under the collar. “Stecks is easy, but I didn't think Bradley would go for it, honestly.”

Mike's so excited, his eyes crinkled with his smile and, god, Nicky's a terrible person. He had to lie his way into getting them this room together, not only lie himself, but lie on Mike's behalf and - fuck. Mike’s going to think he's the worst, some kind of terrible guy who lies about something as important as soulbonds and -

“Are you okay, Backy?” Mike asks, his expression changing quickly into something more serious. “You don't look so good -”

“I told Matt we were bonded,” Nicky says, words stumbling out of his mouth before he can stop them. It's just like with Bradley, Nicky's face turning red and heart jackhammering in his chest when he realizes what he's said.

Nicky had no idea how Mike would react, but he definitely didn't expect Mike to just freeze, staring at Nicky wide-eyed and open-mouthed. Nicky feels a bit sick to his stomach, and he's so glad he and Ovi have to take suppressants before games, because there's no way he would've been able to block the uncomfortable roll of guilt he feels inside of him.

The longer Mike stares, the more Nicky just wants to get up and leave, but he feels rooted to the spot, waiting for a change. When it starts to feel like too much he says a bit hysterically, “Mike, what the fuck, say something.”

Something seems to snap in Mike, and he shakes his head like he's trying to physically clear his thoughts. Instead of shock there's a small smile growing on his face now, and it just gets larger and larger until there's genuine laughter bubbling from Mike's chest instead.

“Nicky - what the fuck -” Mike gasps out between laughs and Nicky’s guilt turns into embarrassment.

“Listen, if you think the idea of bonding with me is so funny -” Nicky starts, but he's interrupted by Mike's laughter getting louder.

“It's not even that,” Mike says, wiping actual, honest to god tears from his eyes, “you're just - you're ridiculous, Backy, honestly. Of all the things you could've said - your first thought - _bonding -_ ”

“Oh my god, shut up,” Nicky says, throwing one of the pillows from his bed at Mike who’s too busy laughing to stop it from hitting him in the chest. Nicky’s face is still hot and he’s more annoyed now than anything because Mike just _won’t stop laughing_. “It worked didn’t it?”

Mike takes a few more seconds to calm down while Nicky waits impatiently with his arms crossed, and as the last few of his giggles are fading away, he says, “Sorry, sorry. Nicky, it’s pretty funny, though.”

“Bonding with me isn’t -”

“Not bonding with you, or even us being bonded, just now we have to _pretend_ to be bonded like, how do we even do that?” Mike asks with a last few giggles.

Nicky groans. “I don’t know. I don’t know why I said that to Matt. I’m sorry, Greenie.”

Mike throws Nicky’s pillow back at him in response, but also comes over to join him on his bed, pulling Nicky down so they’re both lying back, legs dangling over the edge. Nicky doesn’t hesitate in curling an arm around Mike’s middle or burying his face in Mike’s chest because it’s easier than having to look at him face on. He likes the way Mike takes affection easily, how Nicky never feels weird or awkward giving it to him.

Mike always seems to know when Nicky needs a bit of space and when he could do with a hug or a soft touch instead. Sometimes it feels like they are bonded, but in a different way that has nothing to do with sharing thoughts or emotions telepathically. It’s a bond that forms slowly and naturally through comfort and familiarity, a bond that makes Nicky feel at home even when he’s surrounded by people he barely knows.

“I don’t think it’s going to be so bad,” Mike says, carding a hand through Nicky’s hair slowly. “I mean, I’d rather pretend to be bonded to you than to like Ovi or something.”

Nicky snorts out a laugh. “Oh trust me, being bonded to Ovi is just as fun as you’re probably imagining.”

Mike laughs, and Nicky can feel the rumble of it underneath him, along with the steady pace of his heartbeat. When Nicky looks up at him, there’s a large smile on his face that’s soft and fond and makes Nicky want to hide his face again so Mike doesn’t see the way it makes him blush.

“It’s okay, Nicky, we’ll make the best of it,” Mike says, and Nicky doesn’t have too much trouble believing him.

\--

Nicky’s post-practice nap is interrupted by Ovi poking around in their bond. Nicky can feel him, prodding around for - something - gently and relatively unobtrusively, but undeniably there. He still hasn’t gotten completely used to the feeling, Ovi combing through his thoughts, flashes of red in his vision or sudden bursts of excitement or anger or confusion that aren’t his own.

Their bond isn’t good at long-distance, and it was basically non-existent during Nicky’s extra year in Sweden. But the moment Nicky landed back in DC for training camp, it hit him full force, making him almost dizzy with the overwhelming amount of _emotion_ that seems to follow Ovi around no matter what he’s doing.

Ovi sends him something through the bond, and it’s just a muddled red and brown haze that Nicky manages to blink away quickly. The confusion is easy to pick up, but Nicky doesn’t get much past that. Nicky sends back his own mental question mark before putting up a block, and as soon as he does his phone buzzes on the bedside table.

 _u already find new bondmate ((((_ Ovi texts, and Nicky can feel his stomach drop slightly.

 _What are you talking about?_ Nicky asks and Ovi’s response comes back immediately.

_our bond isnt good enough????? what greenie have that i dont (((((((((_

_Clearly we still have our bond also._ Nicky answers, and he puts his phone back down after, ignoring his next couple messages and sinking deeper into his covers instead. He makes sure to strengthen his block, and tries to will himself back to sleep.

It almost works until there’s a knock on his door, loud enough to jolt Nicky back awake, and he nearly groans when he hears Ovi calling his name insistently.

“What?” Nicky asks when he answers the door and Ovi pushes his way into the room without an answer or an invitation, making himself comfortable on Nicky’s bed and patting the spot next to him for Nicky to join him like it’s not Nicky’s room that they’re in right now.

“Why you don’t tell me about Greenie?” Ovi asks when Nicky finally sits, keeping his distance because it’s hard enough keeping up the block when Ovi’s this close to him.

“It just happened recently,” Nicky says, trying to keep his voice steady, because even without the bond Ovi seems to have an ability to read him exceptionally well. “We were trying to keep it to ourselves.”

Nicky makes sure to keep the block firmly in place, thinking of locked doors and closed boxes and tightly sealed safes. It must work because he doesn’t feel Ovi probing around, can only see the slight frown on his face when he tries and he’s met with nothing.

“So you told Bradley?” Ovi asks finally when he can’t get through to Nicky’s head.

“We wanted to room together,” Nicky explains, which at least is true. “He wouldn’t agree to switch, so I told him.”

Ovi looks at him, considering. There’s no trace of his usual smile, and there’s a part of Nicky that wants to reach out and smooth the lines on his face because they look _wrong_ there, like they don’t belong.

“I thought I’d feel when you bonded with someone else,” Ovi admits.

Even with his block up, Nicky can feel Ovi’s part of the bond. The cloudy reddish-pink that he recognizes as uncertainty and the weight of confusion that sits heavy in his stomach like its his own. It makes Nicky shift uncomfortably, and neither of them seem to relax until Nicky settles with their arms pressed together and Nicky start to unlock some of the doors to his block.

“Did Malkin feel it? When we bonded?” Nicky asks.

Ovi shakes his head. “No, was still in Russia. Not even our bond can reach that far. But he felt later, first time we play Pittsburgh this season. Said when he see me, he also see blue, see our bond. But I never see anything with Greenie.”

Nicky shifts again, trying to lean away from Ovi, but Ovi doesn’t let him go very far. They’re still touching, a soft brush that’s enough that Nicky can’t put up a full block. Ovi’s expecting something from him, but Nicky doesn’t know what to give him, can’t give him a haze of color like the splotches of yellow Nicky saw when the Penguins first came to town. He thinks about the draft day, though, about the warmth in his bones when Ovi first mentioned his bond, and he thinks about the day of the game, when there was a lightness in his chest even after what should have been a suffocating loss.

Then Nicky thinks about Mike, about the twist he feels in his gut when Mike smiles, or the warmth of his hand on the nape of Nicky’s neck. He thinks about long plane rides and hard practices and having someone to lean on when things start to feel like too much. He thinks about the spark they feel on the ice together and how it never seems to die even when they’re off the ice.

And it must all go through the bond, through the cracks in Nicky’s block that he can’t fill when Ovi’s this close, because Ovi finally shifts away, looking at Nicky in surprise.

“This how you feel? All the time?”

Nicky smiles sheepishly, face hot, but he nods. “Yeah, all that is just - Greenie.”

The considering look is back on Ovi’s face and for once, he’s got his own block up, something permeable like a goalie standing in the net, but it’s hard for Nicky to get through when he doesn’t know its weaknesses. It’s rare that Nicky doesn’t know exactly what Ovi’s feeling, what he’s thinking. Even on suppressants their connection is strong and solid, but now, Nicky’s barely getting anything.

Ovi smiles, eventually, something softer than his usual bright grin, but it’s enough to make Nicky feel less on edge when they’ve both got blocks up.

“Seems like good bond, but ours still better, I think,” Ovi teases and it startles a laugh out of Nicky.

He pushes Ovi gently in retaliation, and wishes he could say with honesty that he had a bond with Mike at all.

\--

Fake bonding turns out to be a lot easier than Nicky thought it would be, though it might just be the fact that Mike makes everything a little bit simpler for him.

Most of the team reacts in the same ways as Bradley, with little surprise and even less fanfare. Brooksie congratulates them with hugs and something through his and Mike’s bond that makes Mike blush furiously. Alex rolls his eyes and says he’s suspected it all along, but there’s a smile on his face that seems soft and fond of the whole situation.

“I think we can probably keep this up for a while,” Mike says in Atlanta when they’re on the bus to the arena. It’s a lot like their nights on the plane, sitting close together in the small space. Nicky’s nerves always feel grounded when he has Mike next to him, and it helps to calm his pre-game jitters to feel Mike tracing patterns into the open palm of his hand as the bus rolls through the city.

“The bonding thing?” Nicky asks, and Mike nods.

“No one seems to suspect anything, so why not?”

Nicky doesn’t argue, not when he’s been enjoying this. Because being fake bonded to Mike means Mike’s hands on him more often, Mike whispering in his ear more often, Mike going all out to make it seem like they’re actually together because Mike’s never been one to do things half-way.

Maybe it’s all for show, but that doesn’t change that Nicky feels a lighter every time Mike brushes their hands together or tucks Nicky’s hair back when it starts to fall in front of his face. It’s almost embarrassing how much Nicky always wants Mike’s attention, and how happy he is now that he suddenly has it much more often than before.

“Yeah, why not?” Nicky echoes, and from the smile Mike gives him, he knows he’s given the right answer.

\--

Nicky has no problem admitting Mike is his best friend. It’s become a fact of life that Nicky’s quickly accepted - the sky is blue, ice is cold, Ovi will never go more than a few games without scoring a goal, Nicky has found a friend for life in Mike Green.

Nicky has a bit of a problem admitting, however, that maybe, he’s fallen a bit for Mike, that he’s every cliched rom-com that Ovi makes him watch where the hero falls for his best friend and has to prove their love goes beyond the structures of bonding. Nicky thought he was hiding it, that he was being subtle, but then Mike smiles and Nicky’s stomach flips and suddenly he’s getting a teasing feedback of it from Ovi until Nicky slams a block up in embarrassment.

Nicky convinces himself that it’s fine, really, not having an actual bond with Mike, because he knows it doesn’t change the way he feels. There are days he wishes for one, however. Days when the team teases them and Mike’s face turns pink and he ducks away with a shy smile. Days when Mike kisses his cheek or grabs his hand and Nicky wonders if it really is for show. Days when Mike will crawl into his bed after a hard loss on the road and they’ll just lie together for a little bit, breathing in sync and curled up together because it’s easier that way to shake off the defeat. Days where Nicky really wishes he knew exactly what Mike was thinking and feeling too.

\--

It's possible that, of everyone, Ovi's more excited about Nicky's first NHL goal than anyone else.

“No practice tomorrow, so have to celebrate,” Ovi insists.

Nicky's sitting in front of his stall in the locker room twirling the puck he shot into the net off a beautiful pass off Kozlov during the powerplay. He wants to say no, but Ovi's excitement is thrumming through the bond, vibrant red like fireworks, and Nicky can feel it humming under his own skin.

“Yeah, okay,” Nicky agrees, and Ovi whoops loudly, hugging Nicky before going to spread the news.

It's not a huge celebration by any means, just a few of them finding a bar and Ovi ordering a round of shots and then a round of drinks for everyone. Nicky sits pressed flush again Mike in their tiny booth, Alex and Ovi across from them and Brooksie at the head of the table. Some of the older guys are there too, sat at their own table and enjoying their free drinks complement of Ovi. The energy over the bond has tampered down a bit, but it's still enough to leave Nicky feel light and happy and he's glad to be here, with his team, with Mike, celebrating the fact that his job is doing what he loves most in the world.

Brooksie and Ovi are arguing about a bad call off one of the linesman, Alex watching in amusement, when Mike asks, “What do bonded couples act like when they're out?” It's low in Nicky's ear so no one else can hear and Nicky snorts a laugh into his drink.

“Probably talk shit about their friends over their bond,” Nicky whispers back, and the warmth he feels in his stomach when Mike laughs is all him, not a trace of his bond with Ovi.

“We don't need a bond to talk about Ovi's ugly outfit,” Mike says and Nicky laughs harder, burying his face in Mike's shoulder.

“Something funny, guys?” Brooksie asks, kicking Nicky's foot under the table, and when he looks up, everyone is staring at him and Mike in amusement.

Nicky just shrugs, settling under the arm Mike's got thrown over his shoulders. He likes that it feels natural, like something he'd do anyway, and not like something he's only doing because people are staring, expecting him and Mike to act differently now that there's supposed to be a bond between them.

No one blinks an eye at the way Nicky and Mike are sinking into each other, but Ovi does say, “Shouldn't share bond secrets when with friends.”

“There's nothing secretive about how terrible your outfit is,” Mike says.

“I pay for drinks and this is how you thank me?” Ovi asks, throwing a napkin at Mike before turning quickly to look at Alex, even more affronted and spluttering something out in shocked Russian.

“See, _that's_ not fair, you guys have a bond and a secret language,” Brooksie complains and Alex rolls his eyes.

“Russian not secret. Just learn.”

Nicky’s still giggling into Mike’s shoulder, his bond with Ovi fluctuating between a sullen maroon over whatever Alex said and a lighter shade closer to pink that Nicky knows is amusement. There’s no blocks up, not with Nicky feeling so happy and Ovi so close and he can feel Ovi reaching into the bond a bit more than usual, feeding off his own giddiness and creating a feedback loop of positive emotions between them. It’s one of Nicky’s favorite things about his bond with Ovi, about bonds in general, and he wishes he could share this part of himself with Mike also.

“Does the bond let you understand Russian?” Mike asks Nicky curiously, drowning out Brooksie’s complaints that Russian is too hard and Alex’s scolding that it’s not fair that they all have to learn English.

Brooksie answers before Nicky has a chance to, asking, “Does it let you understand Swedish?”

Nicky stiffens a little, and Mike does too, just enough that Nicky can feel the tension in his shoulders even if no one else can see it. He replies, “Yeah, if I wanted, I could tell you to fuck right off right now,” but it comes out a bit more stilted than usual.

“I heard Nylander teaching you that last week, that’s not some super bond power,” Brooksie says with a laugh, but when he looks at Mike there’s something questioning there and Nicky’s sure that he’s asking something through their bond.

Sure enough, Mike’s face is blank, like he’s setting up blocks, and Nicky squirms a bit uncomfortably in his seat when Brooksie continues to look confused. He’s sure Ovi can feel his discomfort, but he doesn’t question, doesn’t push, discussing something softly with Alex in Russian instead.

Brooksie doesn’t seem to be giving the same courtesy, though, and Nicky’s not sure exactly how hard he’s pushing until Mike snaps, “We can talk about it later,” out loud, surprising everyone.

Brooksie bites his lip but shrugs, looking away, and Nicky’s sure he’s giving Mike a silent apology through their bond. Mike’s still tense next to him, though, and he only relaxes when Nicky places a hand on the back of his neck, fingers curling loosely in the longer strands of hair there.

“Everything alright?” Nicky asks quietly and Mike immediately leans into him a little further until it feels like Nicky’s supporting most of his weight.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Mike says, shoulders a bit looser than before, but Nicky still frowns.

Ovi’s eyes are on him, so he puts up a block, a weak one that’s more a curtain over a window than a brick wall in an alleyway. When he whispers in Mike’s ear, Nicky’s close enough that Mike’s hair tickles against his skin and he can smell the clean, familiar scent of the shampoo he brings on road trips. “Do you want to stop this? The pretending with the bond -?”

“No,” Mike says firmly, but there’s a small smile on his face. “It’s fine, Nicky, really.”

He surprises Nicky with a quick kiss, a barely there press to his mouth that still makes Nicky blush furiously. He doesn’t even realize he’s dropped the block between him and Ovi until there’s a shimmer of pink amusement in his vision and he catches Ovi looking at them with his nose scrunched up. It only makes Nicky blush more because Ovi creates a mirror, a loop of Nicky’s feelings back at him that’s a flash of surprise and a clear, bright blue of affection that reminds Nicky of the sky during summertime. Even if he can’t get fully formed thoughts from Ovi, Nicky knows what he’s thinking - _this is what Greenie is to you_.

The conversation around them starts to pick up again, Ovi falling into whatever argument Brooksie and Alex have started now. Nicky takes a second to tuck his face into Mike’s neck, Mike’s arm falling around his waist and his fingers curling around Nicky’s hip. For a second, Nicky just breathes, and tries not to feel overwhelmed at the intensity of his emotions that Ovi’s still reflecting back at him.

\--

The kissing thing happens again, always just light pecks to Nicky’s mouth when they’re out with the team or saying goodbye after practice. They always make Nicky blush a lot more than they should, until he starts expecting them, kissing Mike a bit more deeply when he starts to feel a bit braver about it.

It’s hard when Nicky always wants more, wants to push himself flush against Mike and get his hands in Mike’s hair. He wants to kiss Mike for hours in their shared hotel room, wants to feel Mike hot and solid underneath him. The guilt that Nicky first felt starts to roll around again, settling a bit sick in Nicky’s stomach whenever Mike presses a smile against his mouth after games despite how much they’ve been losing.

Their first win in nearly two weeks comes during a road game in Philly, Nicky scoring a pretty overtime goal to end the game in their favor. Nicky can feel his excitement thrumming through his bones, mixing in with Ovi’s enthusiasm from the bond and making Nicky feel better than he has days.

“You’re a beauty, Backy,” Mike exclaims through the excited chatter in the locker room, Nicky laughing loudly when Mike picks him up in a hug, twirling him around. “A three point night and the game winner - what can’t you do?”

Nicky’s caught by surprise when Mike dips him down low in a showy kiss, Nicky laughing against his mouth as he cups Mike’s cheeks. When they part, Mike’s smiling wide, eyes crinkled and his face pink and Nicky’s sure he doesn’t fare much better. In the bond, there’s shimmers of pink and the pretty sky blue that Ovi always sends teasingly when Nicky’s letting his affection for Mike bleed into their bond, and for once Nicky doesn’t even feel embarrassed when he blinks it away.

“Guess we know who’s going to be celebrating tonight,” Brooksie says, swatting at Mike’s ass with a towel as he walks by, making Mike laugh loudly and Nicky giggle into Mike’s neck when Mike pulls him in closer.

Right here, in the bright lights of the locker room, breathing in the familiar scent of Mike’s skin, and pressed this close against him, Nicky forgets for a second that what they’re doing isn’t as real as he wants it to be.

\--

After the next game in Raleigh, Mike falls into Nicky’s bed with him back in the hotel, Nicky pushing him away light-heartedly when Mike cuddles into his side.

“You have your own bed,” Nicky says, giggling when Mike buries his nose in Mike’s neck.

“You picked the better bed this time,” Mike says. “I like this one more.”

Mike has an arm thrown over Nicky’s waist, his breathing steadying slowly when he hooks his leg over Nicky’s hip. Nicky likes this, the warmth of Mike’s breath on his neck, getting to run his fingers through Mike’s thick hair.

“Do you want to put on a movie or something, Greenie?” Nicky asks and Mike grunts in response.

“Might fall asleep,” Mike admits, but Nicky says that’s okay, reaching over with the hand he doesn’t have in Mike’s hair to grab at the remote.

Mike’s not really paying attention, still lying with his eyes closed, head pillowed on Nicky’s chest now, so Nicky just flips to ESPN, putting the volume on low. True to his word, Mike’s asleep before the highlights flashing on the screen are done playing.

Something swirls in Nicky’s stomach when he looks down at Mike, a swell of affection that’s replaced quickly with the kind of panic that makes him feel sick with worry. Fuck, Nicky thinks, his hand stilling in Mike’s hair. He is so fucking gone for Mike.

Nicky suddenly realizes he can’t do this anymore, the pretending, the charade, the playful kisses. Everything is starting to blur together and he has Mike in his _bed_ now, the two of them sharing this space and cuddled together like what they do in front of the team means something more than a shared joke that’s gotten out of hand. And Nicky he can’t - he can’t do that to himself, can’t do that to Mike, not when he wants more out of this that Mike can’t give him.

Mike sleeps soundly the whole night, but Nicky spends most of it tossing and turning, itching anxiety starting to crawl over his skin the more he realizes that this is something he can’t have anymore.

\--

They’re back in Washington the next morning, and Nicky drags himself to optional skate later in the day even if he’s exhausted from lack of sleep. He’s stuck with nervous energy, though, and he needs something to channel it into, even if it’s just shooting pucks into the net until his arms are sore.

Nicky ignores Mike for most of the morning, working on light drills with Nylander and later some conditioning stuff with Ovi and Brooksie. Feeding off of Ovi’s concentration helps to calm Nicky, makes it easier for him to focus when he’s so, so ready to jump out of his skin instead and his mind is much clearer by the end of practice when everyone is starting to goof off around in smaller groups.

Ovi’s busy doing showy trick shots with Alex, some of the older guys egging them on, when Mike finally finds Nicky where he’s watching from the bench. He plops down next to Nicky with a smile, his cheeks pink from the cold of the rink and exertion of the drills he’d been working on earlier, and his hair plastered to his forehead with sweat. Nicky has to swallow around the thickness in his throat when Mike nudges his side.

“Everything okay, Nicky?” Mike asks.

Nicky didn’t want to do this here, not in the rink off a good practice in front of the team. He wishes he had a puck in front of him, something that he could fidget with because his restless energy is starting to come back. He avoids Mike's eyes, is scared of what he's going to see there.

They should stop, he knows they should because this is dumb, it was a dumb idea from the beginning that they shouldn't have gone along with in the first place. Because no matter how much they pretend, they're not bonded, and there's a part of him that’s starting to ache because it’s becoming too hard to tell what’s real and what isn’t.

Mike’s eyebrows furrow in concern, and he puts a hand on Nicky’s elbow. “Nicky -”

“I don’t think we should do this anymore,” Nicky blurts out before he can stop himself, sick regret bubbling up in his stomach as soon as he does.

“Oh,” Mike says, and when Nicky looks at him, his face is blank in a way that makes Nicky's stomach drop. “You want to stop?”

Nicky looks away quickly, down to where most of the team’s gathered now, cheering Alex on until his next shot pings loudly off the post. He doesn’t look at Mike, can’t do it because this is already hard enough as it is.

“I just - I can’t do it anymore, Mike. It’s getting to be too much.”

Mike drops his hand from where it was still on Nicky’s elbow, folding his arms across his chest instead. From the corner of his eye, Nicky can see that he still has that same blank expression on his face, and Nicky hates so much that he can’t read it, doesn’t know what Mike’s thinking or what he wants to do or say.

“What changed?” Mike asks. “We were fine - and last night -”

“None of it was real, Mike,” Nicky snaps, angry enough that it surprises himself as well as Mike. “It wasn’t real and there’s no use in pretending that it was. We shouldn’t have done this in the first place -”

“Fine,” Mike says, cutting Nicky off. His own voice is much more steady than Nicky’s. “Fine, Backy, that’s fine. We can stop. We’ll tell the team we called it off or are trying to get the bond to taper down to platonic or some shit. It’s fine.”

It’s not fine, Nicky knows, but he digs his fingernails into his palm, trying to stop the frustrated tears starting to well up behind his eyes. Across the rink, he can see Ovi whispering something to Brooksie and he makes sure the block he has up is strongly in place before he leaves down to the locker room, leaving Mike there still sitting with the same expression on his face.

\--

They don’t tell the team.

After practice turns into after the next game until they’re stuck in a cycle that leaves Nicky anxious and irritated, his skin feeling too small for his bones while they’re stuck between pretending and moving forward. It doesn’t help that they’re in one of their longest homestands of the year, almost a whole week of games in Washington that makes it easy for Mike to avoid him when they’re not on the ice.

They don’t talk, not unless they have to, and Nicky hates that now, when Mike smiles or touches the back of his hand in front of the team, it is for show and nothing else. Mike’s usually gone as quickly as he can be, leaving Nicky frustrated and confused that this is where they’ve ended up now.

Nicky keeps his blocks up, but they’re not as strong as he wants them to be, and he knows that his feelings spill over to Ovi a lot more easily than he wishes they would. He can see it in Ovi’s own irritability, how despite their most recent winning streak, Ovi seems on edge in a way that he rarely is.

The team’s finishing up a win against the Rangers when Nicky feels Ovi reaching to him tentatively through the bond. It’s just a gentle nudge that makes Nicky look up and meet his eyes across the locker room as he’s getting back into his game-day suit. Nicky makes the bond a little weaker, and Ovi’s red is subdued and hesitant, a giant question mark asking to talk to Nicky about whatever is wrong.

Nicky’s about to put the block back up, but then Mike laughs across the locker room and Nicky’s heart races a bit. He’s sure that it spikes something in the bond by the way Ovi narrows his eyes in Nicky’s direction, and Nicky just nods instead.

Ovi waits around for him, and they’re the last two to last to leave the locker room, filtering out after Mike and Brooksie who smiles at Nicky weakly before heading out. Ovi leads them out with a hand between Nicky’s shoulderblades, and Nicky doesn’t protest when Ovi opens the passenger door of his car for Nicky.

It’s cold inside Ovi’s car, the temperature in the garage nearly unbearable in a way that Nicky’s learning seems to be common for Virginia and Washington in December. They sit in silence for a while, waiting for heat to filter in through the air vents of Ovi’s cars until Nicky’s fingers don’t feel as numb anymore.

“You and Greenie having lover’s quarrel?” Ovi asks finally, when Nicky is starting to feel stuffy under his scarf and toque.

“Not really,” Nicky mumbles, avoiding Ovi’s eyes.

There’s no block up, and Nicky can feel Ovi’s confusion, how it’s masked still with hesitation and a peachy shade that Nicky rarely sees - worry.

“Something wrong. Can feel it, but even without bond, can see it too. What is it, Backy?”

Nicky fiddles with the vents in front of him, making them face towards him and away from him over and over again because it’s easier to think when he has something to do with his hands. Ovi just watches, patient in a way he rarely is. Nicky swallows thickly.

“Greenie and I never bonded,” he admits quickly, the words spilling from his mouth before he can help it.

There’s no surprise, not through the bond, and not on Ovi’s face when Nicky finally looks at him. If anything, there’s a glitter of amusement that Nicky blinks away angrily, his brows furrowing at Ovi in confusion.

“I know,” Ovi says with a small laugh.

Nicky frowns. “How do you -?”

“We bonded,” Ovi explains. “What you feel, I feel, Nicky. Even when you don’t want me to, I can feel sometimes. Same for Booksie and Greenie. We know, can only fool us for so long.”

Nicky feels guilt wash over him, thick and viscous like a layer of oil floating through water. “We didn’t mean to lie. We just - wanted to room together,” Nicky explains, and the excuse sounds weak even to his own ears.

“I don’t understand why you do it, and don’t need to either,” Ovi says with a roll of his eyes, “but I do understand that what you feel for Greenie, is not pretend. Maybe there is no bond, but you love him.”

Ovi claps his hand down on Nicky’s shoulder, and Nicky feels it again, the feedback loop that Ovi is so good at. The warm blue summer sky and the light in his chest and belly that he knows is all Mike.

“I told him I didn’t want this anymore. Didn’t want to pretend,” Nicky says, voice small. “I didn’t think it would hurt him. I didn’t think about any of this, if I did we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

“Sometimes things are hard without bond,” Ovi says, voice steady but his eyes soft. “Words get messed up, Backy. You tell Greenie you don’t want to pretend, but maybe all he hear is you don’t want him anymore. I think that’s why he hurt.”

Bonds work in different ways, Nicky’s always known that, but he also knows that it’s easy to fall into patterns of how they like to use them. Ovi likes colors and he likes emotions because they’re easy. Ovi is an open book, unafraid of what he’s feeling and sharing that with Nicky, with Malkin, with Alex. Nicky likes blocks and walls and keeping his emotions close to his chest because that’s easier for him, creating barriers when sometimes it’s hard to untangle the complicated weave of his and Ovi’s bond.

Neither of them have ever been fans of sending memories, but Ovi sends them now, images of Mike smiling at Nicky and Nicky curled up against Mike’s side on the plane and the blush on Nicky’s cheek whenever Mike kisses him. It makes Nicky’s chest feel tight and hot and he curls his fingers into fists against his thighs, fingernails digging into his palms.

“What do I say to him?” Nicky asks, block going up hard and fast enough that Ovi actually flinches away in guilt, rubbing at his temple.

“The truth, probably,” Ovi grumbles, and Nicky looks at him apologetically.

Nicky uncurls his fingers a bit, staring at the crescent moon indents in his palm before starting to take down parts of the block, the brickwall of it turning into iron bars instead so Ovi can see his gratitude, his apology for putting up the wall so rashly.

Ovi sends back playful swirls of red and pink and Nicky lets them curl through the gaps between the bar, helping him relax for the first time in days.

\--

Their homestand ends with a loss to Buffalo and a game the next night in Florida against the Bolts. Nicky’s full of nervous energy the next morning as they board the plane, not as much for the game as much for seeing Mike, of having to share a room with him again for the first time in over a week.

Nicky takes his usual seat on the plane, surprised when Ovi takes the seat next to him that’s generally reserved for Mike. Nicky stares at him warily, but Ovi just places a hand on the back of his neck, sending something through the bond, a haze of warm and deep maroon that reminds Nicky of thick sweaters on fall days. It helps to relax him, some of his nerves settling as he takes in Ovi’s comfort.

“Haven’t talked to Greenie yet,” Ovi whispers, and Nicky shakes his head.

Nicky watches as Mike walks down the aisle of the plane, his eyes just glazing by Nicky and Ovi before he takes a seat next to Brooksie instead a few rows back. Nicky’s trying so hard not to stare, not to be too obvious, and it’s probably only the hand that Ovi has still resting on his arm that keeps him from bouncing out of his seat.

“Have to do it soon,” Ovi says.

Nicky bites his bottom lip, chewing nervously on the cut that’s there from battling for the puck the night before along the half-wall. “I know. Tonight. After the game.”

Ovi sends him another wave of calm energy when he squeezes Nicky’s arm, and Nicky holds on to it as they get ready for takeoff.

\--

Mike’s quiet as they grab the keys to their room, the smile on his face when he was joking around with Alex earlier dropping quickly when it’s just him and Nicky in the elevator. Nicky’s chest feels tight because they’re standing as far as they can, tension building because Nicky can’t say any of the hundreds of words he has forming on the tip of his tongue.

When they reach their room, Mike stops suddenly in the open doorway, face twisting into something Nicky can’t place. “This isn’t funny,” he says, flatly.

Nicky can’t quite see over Mike’s shoulder, and it’s not until Mike steps farther into the room that Nicky realizes. There’s only one bed.

“I didn’t do this,” Nicky says quickly, because it’s the first thing that pops into his head and apparently he just doesn’t have a filter anymore.

Mike rolls his eyes, dropping his bag down on the far side of the bed. “I didn’t think you did.”

“Um, should we call down to the desk?” Nicky asks, standing awkwardly with his own bag still in his hand. He’s not sure what to do, whether he should sit down or go back down to the lobby or go and hideout in Ovi’s room and hope the whole thing just fixes itself somehow.

“No, it’s fine, we have to get downstairs to head out to morning skate,” Mike says, heading out of the room before Nicky can reply.

Nicky’s left standing there, the bed seeming too small and somehow too big and daunting at the same time. He sets his bag down on his side and follows Mike out, hoping that it’ll be easy to settle this when they get back.

\--

“How’s your room situation, rookie?” Bradley asks, skating up to Nicky in practice and passing a surprise puck at him that Nicky stops easily. Nicky shoots it at the empty net, puck bouncing off the crossbar with a clang that makes Nicky sigh in frustration.

“Fine,” Nicky mumbles, receiving Bradley’s next pass just as easily. Nicky’s next shot pings off the post.

“You’re happy with your _arrangements_?” Bradley asks, voice lewd enough to make Nicky blush and turn towards him in surprise.

“What do you mean?”

“We thought we should be getting thank you’s for getting rid of that second bed in your room,” Bradley explains, teasing. His smile is light, friendly, but Nicky still feels blood pounding in his ears angrily.

“Yeah, thanks a lot,” Nicky says dryly.

Nicky might be better at keeping his feelings in check better than he first thought, because Bradley seems oblivious to the harsh edge to his words. Ovi’s there in his head, though, trying to feel out his anger curiously, and Nicky shuts him out as quick as he can.

When Bradley sends him his next pass, Nicky hits the puck with a speedy wrister that finally finds the back of the net.

Nicky’s hands are shaking a bit when he skates toward the bench, still unsteady as he tries to uncap his water bottle. He knows it was just a harmless joke, that it was their own fault for not getting out of this sooner, but Nicky feels furious all of a sudden and he’s unsure if it’s at himself or at Mike or at Bradley and whoever else was in involved in all this.

Nicky feels a hand on his shoulder when bends over to drop his water bottle back over the bench, and he startles, eyes widening in surprise when he realizes it’s Mike frowning at him, and not Ovi like he thought it would be.

“Is everything okay?” Mike asks. “What did Bradley say to you?”

The swell of anger in Nicky’s chest deflates quickly, leaving his chest like the air escaping from a balloon. Mike still has his hand on Nicky’s back, between the jut of his shoulderblades, and even if Nicky can’t really feel it beneath his equipment, he can imagine the warmth of it against his skin. It’s the first time Mike’s touched him genuinely, with no one watching, in over a week.

“Yeah, I’m fine, just,” Nicky lets out a huff of frustration, his words of course getting tangled when he actually wants them to come out. “I think Matt and probably some of the other guys, they were the ones that arranged our room. To y’know - with the bed - as a joke.”

“Oh,” Mike says, dropping his hand quickly. Nicky feels something sting in his chest at the loss of contact. “You just looked really unhappy. I just didn’t realize - listen, Backy, if it’s that big of a deal we can just fix this when we get back or I can go stay in Brooksie’s room or something -”

Nicky’s stomach drops when he realizes what it sounds like, and not for the first time Nicky wishes desperately for a real bond, in any form, just so he doesn’t have to fumble his words and Mike just _knew_ what he meant. That it’s not a big deal that they have to share a bed, share any space, because Nicky wants that, just doesn’t want it like _this_ when they’re on different pages, when it’s so obvious they don’t seem to want the same things or understand things in the same way.

“Mike, no, it’s not that -”

The sound of Boudreau’s whistle rings clear and sharp through the rink, his voice carrying loudly as he calls them to center ice to take a knee. It’s before Nicky can get his words out, and he’s ready to scream in frustration. He wants to settle this, work this all out so him and Mike can fall back into their old easy rhythm. He’s so tired of the miscommunication and the confusion. Nicky just wants his best friend back, in whatever way he can have him.

For now, though, he just watches as Mike skates to where the team is gathering, taking a few large breaths before pushing off in the same direction.

\--

Mike’s back at the hotel before Nicky is, and by the time Nicky makes it back to their room, Mike’s got his bag open on their bed, repacking the few things he’d taken out before practice that morning.

“What are you doing?” Nicky asks, hovering by the foot of the bed.

“I’m just - gonna go stay in Brooksie’s room with him tonight,” Mike says, words short and clipped.

Nicky stops him from closing his bag by wrapping a hand around his wrist, and Mike freezes, but doesn’t resist. “Mike, no. Please stay here.”

“Why? You obviously don’t want me to. You’re not happy about this, weren’t happy about what we were doing -”

“You’re right, I wasn’t happy about pretending,” Nicky says, cutting him off, stomach twisting only a little when Mike’s face falls. “But only because I didn’t want it to be pretend anymore.”

“What do you mean, Nicky? Because I stopped pretending a long time ago,” Mike says quietly. “The bond may not have been real - but everything else? - that was all true.”

Nicky’s eyes widen in surprise, heart jackhammering against chest so fiercely that he’s a bit surprised Mike can’t see it waiting to beat right out of his chest. Nicky steps closer, his hand still wrapped around Mike’s wrist, and he tugs on Mike’s arm a little until Mike’s stumbling towards him too.

“I don’t think it was ever pretend for me. Mike, you’re my best friend and I’ve never wanted something more than I’ve wanted you.”

“But you said -”

Nicky groans in frustration, closing the gap between them. When they kiss it’s hard and messy, Nicky’s hand finally dropping Mike’s only so he can tangle his fingers in the short hairs at the back of Mike’s neck. It takes a second for them to find their rhythm, noses bumping at first until Mike tilts his head and they’re kissing more earnestly, deeper and sweeter when Mike pulls Nicky closer with a hand on the small of his back.

“I told you,” Nicky says, chest rising and falling rapidly when they part, “I didn’t want to pretend, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t want you. I wanted you the whole time and I didn’t realize - I just thought it was getting too confusing, not knowing if you wanted me too or if it was just an act or -”

Mike responds with another kiss, softer this time. He swipes his lip against Nicky’s bottom lip, leading him backwards until Nicky’s falling back on the bed with a surprised giggle.

“If it wasn’t clear before, I’m making it clear now - I want you too,” Mike says, crawling between Nicky’s legs and leaving biting kisses against his mouth.

Nicky smiles against Mike’s mouth, feeling light even with the weight of Mike lying pressed on top of him.

Mike laughs, nipping at Nicky’s lips a few more times before rolling off him, nosing gently under his jaw instead. “We have a game tonight, we shouldn’t like, y’know -”

Nicky groans even though he knows Mike’s right. There’s heat settled low in his belly, and now that Mike is touching him he doesn’t want it to stop. He wants to put his hands on Mike’s skin and feel the heat of his mouth.

“After,” Nicky says, “we’re definitely continuing this after.”

“We have the bed for it now,” Mike jokes and Nicky groans again, smacking at Mike’s chest with no real heat beneath it. Mike catches his hand, tugging Nicky in so they’re kissing again.

“No, time for a nap now before I can’t stop,” Nicky insists, pushing on Mike’s chest gently.

Mike rolls his eyes but agrees and Nicky falls asleep for their pre-game nap easily with Mike warm against him, his arm around Nicky’s waist and their legs slotted together under the covers.

\--

They beat the Bolts that night, and Nicky’s in high spirits, feeding off the excitement over Ovi’s bond and the general good mood of the team. Neither him nor Mike puts up a point, but it doesn’t seem to matter, not when he has Mike smiling at him again, tugging him in close in the locker room for a quick kiss despite the groans of some of the boys around them.

“Need to get better at blocking,” Ovi says when Nicky sits down at his stall, smiling wide as he begins to strip out of his gear.

Nicky looks at him, confused. “What do you mean?” he asks, but he turns red quickly when Ovi raises an eyebrow at him with a smug grin.

“Greenie good kisser,” he says, cackling when Nicky snaps his towel at him.

“Oh my god, shut up,” Nicky says, but he’s still smiling, sheepish.

“I’m glad you two make up,” Ovi says more earnestly. “No more sad Backy means no more sad bond.”

“I’m glad too.”

When they’re back at the hotel, Nicky makes sure his block is strong and solid before he pushes Mike against the door, kissing him hard and dirty. Mike responds readily, his hands on Nicky’s hips, pulling him close until Nicky’s grinding against him. Nicky blows Mike right there, still pressed up to the door, Mike’s hands holding back his hair.

Nicky’s surprised when Mike hoists him up by his thighs, and he giggles against Mike’s mouth as he’s carried over to the bed where Mike drops him a bit unceremoniously. It’s okay, though, because Mike makes it up by crawling over him quickly, the two of them tangling together as they lose their clothes, their kisses hotter and more desperate than before.

Nicky comes just by rutting against Mike’s thigh, the both of them breathing heavy when he does. Nicky feels loose and happy, too fucked out to move even with the sticky mess drying between them. When Mike kisses him after, it’s soft and sweet and Nicky feels like he’s never going to stop smiling.

\--

The morning comes too fast, with Nicky’s alarm ringing loud and shrill, warning them that they only have a few hours left until their flight to Detroit. Nicky remembers falling asleep tucked against Mike’s side, but they seem to have shifted positions sometime during the night because they wake up with Mike’s head pillowed on Nicky’s chest instead.

“Let’s just stay here, we can skip a game or two, right?” Mike mumbles sleepily, and Nicky laughs, running a hand through his hair.

“For some reason, I feel like Coach might disagree with that.”

Mike mumbles something else, indistinctive this time because he’s saying it against Nicky’s chest, and Nicky just rolls his eyes.

“Get up, need to shower, need to get ready,” Nicky says, digging his fingers into Mike’s ribs because he knows it always makes him squirm. Sure enough, Mike jumps back with a surprised yelp, glaring at Nicky.

Nicky stares back with wide innocent eyes, letting out a disgruntled laugh when Mike lunges at him, pinning his wrists down with one hand and tickling him back with the other.

“Oh my god, stop -” Nicky says, breathless with his laughter, and Mike does, only to kiss him as best he can when they’re both smiling wide.

It’s not the best kiss they’ve shared, but Nicky feels it everywhere, in the curl of his toes and the sharp intake of breath into his lungs and then suddenly in the flash of bright, bright green against his closed eyelids.

Mike pulls back in surprise, staring at Nicky with his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open. Nicky feels - a lot. There’s an overwhelming swell of love and affection in his chest, so strong and sudden that Nicky can’t breathe with it. There’s an undercurrent of confusion and the buzzing of excitement, and god, it’s almost too much at once.

When Nicky finally manages to speak, the only thing he can think to say is, “Of course it would be green.”

Mike blinks a few times slowly like he’s trying to process Nicky’s words, laughing suddenly in surprise when he does. “I - fuck - did we just - ?”

“Guess we don’t have to pretend anymore,” Nicky says and Nicky feels Mike’s laughter this time, feels it rising up from his own chest, making his smile grow and stomach flip.

“It was probably about time.”

Kissing Mike this time is unlike any kiss Nicky’s had before. Everything Mike feels, Nicky feels too, from the press of their lips to the heat of their skin to the steady, steady weight of content that must be settled in Mike’s chest. The bond flashes different colors, switching between soft minty greens to sunny yellows, settling back to a deeper, warmer green when they break apart, smiling at each other.

Nicky never wants this to stop, never wants to stop feeling the bright, happy joy and affection that Mike is channeling into him. And by the fluttering in his stomach that’s not his own, Nicky’s sure that Mike feels the same.

\--

They’re nearly late to team breakfast, both of them looking a bit rumpled from some quick, hot kisses in the elevator. Mike’s cheeks are pink and Nicky’s sure he has beard burn on his neck, but he doesn’t care when he has Mike’s hand pressed against his back.

Ovi and Brooksie both look smug when Nicky and Mike sit across from them, Ovi’s teasing pink filling Nicky’s vision for a second before it’s overwhelmed by Mike’s darker greens instead.

“Don’t,” Nicky warns before Ovi even says anything and Brooksie laughs loudly at the wounded noise he makes in response.

“Just wanted to say I’m happy for team’s newest bonded couple,” Ovi says with a slight pout, and Nicky kicks him lightly under the table.

“We’re pretty happy too,” Mike says, too open and too honest, and it’s Ovi kicking Nicky this time when Nicky’s chest fills with fondness.

“We know,” Brooksie deadpans. “I can feel it, Ovi can feel it, Alex can probably feel it up in his room. Hell, Malkin probably feels it wherever he is.”

Nicky shrugs, the heavy content still in his chest stronger than any embarrassment sneaking in. Under the table, Mike has a hand high up on his thigh, and when he squeezes Nicky’s leg, Nicky feels the force of Ovi’s block sudden and fast.

“Too early for that,” Ovi grumbles.

“Think we can just slip them bond suppressants twenty-four/seven?” Brooksie teases and Ovi looks like he’s considering it seriously.

“There’s a lot we can do without the bond,” Mike says, leaning over to kiss Nicky deep and pointed, a hand on Nicky’s face.

There’s fluttering in Nicky’s stomach and chest and warmth underneath his skin, and even when Ovi kicks him again, harder this time, he still giggles loudly against Mike’s mouth before they part.

Brooksie starts ranting loudly about boundaries and rules, Ovi jumping in with his thoughts and Mike arguing against them both. Mike’s hand stays on Nicky’s thigh, and it’s just enough contact that it helps Nicky focus on the swirling greens and yellows of the bond as he listens, fond and content.

\--

**Epilogue**

“Since we’re actually bonded now, does that mean I’m also bonded to Ovi by proxy?”

Nicky looks up from the magazine he’d grabbed from the hotel lobby in confusion. Mike’s lying on his bed, hanging upside down off the edge so the blood is rushing to his head and he has to look up to where Nicky’s sitting on his own bed. His hair’s a mess and his face is red and Nicky doesn’t do anything to hide the swell of affection in his chest.

Nicky knows exactly when Mike gets it through the bond, because his face turns even more red, his smile growing softer around the edges. “Um, no,” he says, hiding his own smile behind his magazine.

“But you told me you could like feel his and Malkin’s bond, right? So could I feel your bond with Ovi? I haven’t yet at all?”

The bed springs on Mike’s mattress creek, and when Nicky glances at him, he’s sitting up properly and looking at Nicky with his head tilted in curiosity. His hair is still a mess and his face is still pink and Nicky is still way in over his head.

Nicky sighs when Mike’s still staring and him and clearly insistent on an answer and explains, “I can’t feel their bond, but sometimes when what Ovi’s feeling is particularly strong it just spills over? Like their bond is a glass that’s gotten too full. So if he’s excited or angry or -”

Nicky stops suddenly, face turning red.

“Or what?” Mike asks with an amused half smile.

“Or anything,” Nicky says quickly. “Just anything at all, if there’s too much I can feel it but I can’t feel Malkin’s half at all.”

“Nicky,” Mike says, and Nicky can see it, when Mike realizes what Nicky’s talking about because with Mike, he never seems to be able to put up his wall as fast as he wants to, “Nicky, can you tell when Ovi and Malkin are getting it on?”

“I - no - I mean - it’s not my _fault_ -” Nicky splutters and god, he can’t believe he’s having this conversation right now.

“You’re a perv, Nicky,” Mike teases, “I’m gonna tell Ovi you’re perving on him and Malkin.”

“Oh my god -” Nicky moans, covering his face and he can hear Mike laughing, loud and deep. “Greenie, I swear -”

Nicky’s cut off in surprise when Mike lunges for him across their beds, Nicky letting out a yelp when Mike looms over him, straddling his waist.

“Would Ovi be able to feel this, then?” Mike asks, kissing behind Nicky’s ear where he’s sensitive.

“Mike, stop -” Nicky giggles, but Mike’s hands are big and warm on his jaw, his mouth hot where it’s starting to trail kisses down the column of Nicky’s throat.

“I need to know more about this bonding thing works,” Mike says, voice lower now than before. “Neither Brooksie or I were bonded to anyone else. Tell me, Nicky, how much goes over, could Ovi feel this?”

Mike rolls his hips, just enough to get Nicky moaning underneath him. Their kisses are hot and heavy now and Nicky most definitely has his strongest block up between him and Ovi while leaving his and Mike’s free and open.

If Nicky thought that kissing Mike with the bond was a lot, it was nothing compared to the sex. He can feel Mike everywhere right now, the heat of him, the press of his cock against his own hip, the desperation running under his skin. They’re stuck in that loop where Nicky feels everything Mike feels and all of it goes straight to where he’s hardening in his shorts.

They strip frantically, Nicky giggling when Mike gets stuck in his t-shirt and comes out of it with his hair a mess. He kisses him fondly, letting Mike slip his fingers under the waistband of his shorts and push them down past his thighs so it’s easier for Nicky to kick them off.

Nicky’s leaking in his briefs, breathing heavy when Mike mouths at the wet spot there. He can feel the heat of Mike’s mouth, but also gets traces of the headiness of his own taste, the way Mike’s mouth is watering and the want in Mike’s belly.

“It’s good you’re so good at those blocks, Nicky, because I think I should be the only one who gets to see you like this.”

Mike’s mouth feels so good when he finally gets it around Nicky’s dick. He sucks just at the head at first, working his way down the rest of it slowly. The wet heat is ridiculously hot and Nicky’s desperate to fuck into it and he funnels that want into the bond until Mike is groaning, grinding his own hips against the mattress.

“Fuck - Nicky, is that what you want -?”

Nicky answers with a soft whine, and Mike lets his hand up from where he was holding down Nicky’s hips. They stutter without Mike holding them down, and Mike lets Nicky fuck into his mouth harder.

Mike doesn’t let Nicky come in his mouth like he wanted to, instead moving up to kiss Nicky instead. They’re breathing heavy when Mike wraps a large hand around both of their dicks. Nicky’s almost overwhelmed by the heavy, desperate want around them, the electricity in his veins and the fast, fast pounding of his heart. He comes quickly, a thick white streak against his own belly, whining a bit when Mike keeps stroking him through it until he’s coming too.

Mike collapses against Nicky’s chest with a groan, kissing the middle of it softly when Nicky starts to run his fingers through Mike’s hair.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of that,” Mike admits, “fuck, it just like, gets better every time.”

Nicky giggles, pressing a kiss to the top of Mike’s head.

Nicky’s sleepy and blissed out now, comfortable with Mike lying on top of him, a warm feedback of the sunny yellow Nicky learned quickly is Mike’s affection for him and the minty green his end of the bond turns when he thinks about Mike surrounding him like a soft winter blanket. He’s fading fast, seconds from falling asleep, when Mike’s phone starts buzzing insistently on the bedside table.

Mike groans against Nicky’s chest. “Maybe it’ll just stop.”

It doesn’t stop, not until Mike picks his phone up in frustration, but the frown on his face turns quickly into a loud bark of laughter. He turns his phone off, tossing it over to the other bed before burying his face against Nicky’s skin again.

“What was it?”

Mike hums softly and finally says, “You may be good at blocks, but I’m not.”

Nicky blushes, face heating up furiously, and he smacks Mike’s back when he starts to giggle. “Oh my god - Brooksie -”

“It’s okay, we gave him a show until he got his own block up -”

“You’re the worst -”

Mike cuts him off with a kiss that Nicky sinks into quickly and easily, the two of them lying there tangled up in each other until Nicky’s phone starts buzzing on the bedside table, instead, Brooksie’s name lighting up the screen.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments and kudos are appreciated. You can come talk to me about soul bonds, Nicky, this fic, or anything else you would like on [tumblr](http://tjoshov.tumblr.com) or [twitter](http://twitter.com/tjoshov)!


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